Members of the dental team need to know what about a patient?

Understanding a patient's health status, past medical and dental treatment, and family history is essential for providing safe and effective dental care. This information helps dental professionals assess any risks or complications that may arise during treatment. For instance, knowing a patient's medical history can alert the dental team to conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, which may require special considerations during procedures. Similarly, awareness of past dental treatments can inform the approach to current care, revealing potential allergies, complications, or the patient's responsiveness to certain types of anesthesia or materials.

Moreover, family history can indicate genetic predispositions to dental issues, such as periodontal disease or a tendency for cavities, allowing the dental team to tailor preventive measures more effectively. Overall, this comprehensive understanding of a patient's medical background ensures that dental care is personalized and minimizes the risk of adverse outcomes.

In contrast, while height and weight can be pertinent in specific contexts (like calculating dosages for sedation), they do not provide the same depth of insight into a patient’s dental health. Similarly, knowledge of the patient’s favorite dental products and their home care practices, such as how often they floss or what types of toothpaste they use, are also relevant but do not encompass the critical medical and historical context that the correct answer provides.